The field of the invention is an allele on chromosome 9 associated with coronary heart disease.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of death in Western countries. Here we used genome-wide association scanning to identify a 58 kilobase interval near the INK locus on chromosome 9 that was consistently associated with CHD in six independent samples (n>23,000 participants) from four Caucasian populations. The interval contains no annotated genes and is not associated with established CHD risk factors such as plasma lipoproteins, hypertension or diabetes. Homozygotes for the risk allele comprise 20-25% of Caucasians and have a ˜30-40% increased risk of CHD.